


Almost

by SeafoamSoul



Category: Professional Wrestling, World Wrestling Entertainment
Genre: Angst, F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-17
Updated: 2018-12-17
Packaged: 2019-09-21 02:05:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,429
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17034405
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SeafoamSoul/pseuds/SeafoamSoul
Summary: “I hate the word almost. You were almost mine. We almost made it.”





	Almost

I hate Valentine’s Day. I loved it when I was younger and my dad would get me a small box of chocolates every year, handing it to me at the same time he handed my mother her own box of chocolates and bouquet of roses. As I grew up, however, my dad stopped giving me a box of chocolates, hoping, I guess, that I would get a boyfriend to buy me my own chocolate. It never happened, at least, not while I was in high school.

When I got to college, I had a few boyfriends, only two of which made it through a Valentine’s Day. We were broke college students, so my gift was reminiscent of the gifts my father used to get me. And that was enough for me, made me feel loved and appreciated and gave me just a hint of what home used to feel like.

But then I got out of college, had no boyfriend, had no career path…I was lost. Until I decided to chase after a long lost dream of being a pro-wrestler. A dream I had forgotten about for a long time, something that I only thought about when I was younger. I spent so much time with my dad, parked in front of the tv on the couch watching wrestling that I became convinced I could be a wrestler.

Growing older makes you think of more “realistic” careers. Growing older makes you forget every dream you’ve ever had. Until you’re alone in your apartment, thinking about what got you to this point in your life, and you remember how much child-you loved something. And then you have drive, ambition, something you’re passionate about again.

The decision to follow that dream didn’t help me love Valentine’s Day at all.

When you’re a professional wrestler traveling the world, trying your hardest to make it in various companies, there isn’t really time for a relationship. You spend half your life on planes, running around strange new cities to do a show, and then you’re off to board a new plane. There were hardly any opportunities for free time, and when you had some, you were doing the laundry that piled up and taking care of your apartment and bills.

Of course, there were a few people, fellow wrestlers, that thought they could handle being in a relationship. But when our schedules got to be so different, we never got to see each other, it was easier to cut our losses and move on. And seeing everyone I knew from my hometown settling down and falling in love and spending Valentine’s Day after Valentine’s Day with each other? Well, that made me a little bitter. And that’s when I started hating Valentine’s Day. I was tired of being alone and having to look in on successful relationships from the outside. Even still, I wouldn’t give up my wrestling career. I could handle being alone all the time, could handle not having someone to share a bed with at night, if that meant that I could live my dream.

Being able to live that dream didn’t mean I couldn’t hate Valentine’s Day, though.

It wasn’t until I was finally signed to the WWE, what I had been working toward for so long, that I finally put the thought of relationships and all related activities on the backburner. I wanted to concentrate on what I wanted to achieve in the WWE without having to juggle anything else in my life. I had finally made it to where I wanted to be, and I didn’t want to be distracted.

But life sure has a funny way of messing up your plans. The second you’re not looking for a relationship is the second you find one. And that’s exactly what happened. Six months into being on the main roster and I found myself in a relationship with Braun Strowman.

=======================

It started off simply enough. I was the new girl backstage, constantly lost and confused. I bumped in Braun one day while I was struggling to find where, exactly, Mark Carrano’s office was.

“Fuck, fuck, fuck,” I muttered, heels clacking violently against the floor as I hurried down the hallways. I turned my head to look behind me, seeing if I had walked past it, when I ran right into someone.

I stumbled, losing my footing. I would’ve fallen had two very large hands reached out, grabbing my arms to keep me steady. I looked up to see who had caught me, coming face to face with Braun Strowman.

“Are you okay?” he asked, voice gruff as he let go of me.

“I’m lost,” I blurted out, running my hand through my hair. “I have to meet Carrano like, now, and I have no idea where the fuck his office is. I’ve been running around back here forever and I know I look incredibly stupid right now, but I really, really need to know where he is.”

A soft smile lit up Braun’s face as he looked down at me, completely frazzled. “It’s just down that hallway,” he told me, pointing to a hallway slightly behind me to the right. “And his office is the third door on the left.”

“Oh my god, thank you!” I squealed, wrapping my arms as far around him as I could in a hug before turning away.

“That’s gimmick infringement,” he called after me.

I turned to look back at him, laughing. “Yeah, tell Bayley to come talk to me about it later.” I waved at him as I turned the corner, hurrying down the hallway to get to Carrano.

===========================  
After that, Braun and I just kind of naturally shifted closer to each other. We were always hanging out together after shows, always sitting together at catering. We got along incredibly well, which was a welcome deviance from the norm of just semi-getting along with a lot of my older coworkers. Braun and I had a great friendship, one that meant a lot to me.

So of course it was only a matter of time before feelings got in the way.

===========================

We had a late night drive after Raw one night and both of us were tired and grumpy. The road seemed as if it stretched on forever, the headlights barely breaking up the darkness that enveloped the car. Braun was driving, as per usual, but instead of being his normal, happy self, he was grumbling under his breath. Which didn’t make me any less grumpy, especially when added to the fact I had taken a couple of big bumps and was exhausted and sore.

After a while of him continually grumbling, I finally exploded, sitting up straight in my seat. “What the hell is your problem tonight?”

“Nothing,” Braun answered simply, voice hard.

I narrowed my eyes at him as he stayed focused on the road, muttering something else under his breath. “Braun, I swear to god, you either tell me what the hell your problem is or you stop this damn car and I will find another ride to the next fucking town,” I threatened.

“Yeah, maybe you can call Enzo, get a ride from him,” Braun snapped, eyes finally moving from the road to glance at me. They were darker than normal, brown turned almost-black. “I’m sure that’s what you’d rather be doing anyway.”

“What the hell is that supposed to mean?” I asked, genuinely confused.

“Forget it.” Braun moved his eyes back to the road, shoulders slumping.

“No, Braun, explain what you meant. Because it doesn’t make any sense to me.” I sat in my seat, staring at him while he drove, waiting for a response. His grip tightened on the wheel and I could see his chest expand, holding in a breath, before slowly letting it out.

“I saw you two today, in the back,” he finally said, breaking the silence. His voice was small, quiet, and I didn’t quite know how to handle that in and of itself. “You two were looking over…something on his phone, I don’t know. But I heard you say whatever it was was perfect, that you couldn’t wait. So I just assumed-”

“You’re the biggest asshole in the world, you know that, right?” I asked, cutting him off.

“Excuse me?” Braun’s gaze once more cut to mine, glaring.

“You heard me. You’re an asshole for just assuming I’m with Enzo. And I’m sure Liv would agree.” I watched as my words sunk in, his face softening.

“What-”

“He’s gonna propose. Wanted to show me the ring. It’s perfect, and I can’t wait to hear the story once he’s done it,” I explained, flipping my hair over my shoulder. “I can’t believe you actually thought Enzo and I were together. As if he’s the one on the roster I would go after.”

“So there is someone.” Braun’s voice had gone back to being icy, face stoic.

“Oh my god,” I groaned, throwing my hands in the air. “It’s you, you broody asshole. It’s you.” The car jerked to the side as Braun’s head whipped in my direction and I braced myself on the dashboard. “Okay, maybe watch the road.”

He turned back to face forward, eyes on the road. “Me?” he asked gently, eyes cutting across to look at me, then going straight back to the windshield.

“Yes, you,” I answered, smiling at the way his whole demeanor had changed. He wasn’t tense anymore, grip on the steering wheel loosened considerably.

Braun didn’t say anything back, focusing instead on the road. But after a moment, one of his hands fell from the steering wheel and crossed the console, resting on my knee. I looked over to him, noticing the way his cheeks turned up just slightly, an obvious smile on my face. I smiled in return, resting one of my hands on top of his. And then the two of us weren’t so grumpy anymore.

=========================

The honeymoon stage in the relationship didn’t last long. The fact that we were on the road constantly, always tired and sore and exhausted really took a toll on us. That isn’t to say we didn’t love each other, we did. But sometimes, he annoyed me to no end. And I know for a fact it was the same way for him.

But we did love each other. That wasn’t an issue. And we always managed to work through our issues and disagreements and become even closer.

“That’s the sign of a healthy relationship,” Sasha told me one day in catering. “Being able to work through the small stuff and come out on the other side smiling.”

But Sasha didn’t have any advice for when the big stuff hits and it’s impossible for you to come out smiling.

=========================

Braun made an effort on Valentine’s Day, something that meant more to me than I thought it would. It wasn’t the flowers or the dinner he took me out to. It’s how close he wanted to be to me, how he kept telling me that he loved me, that he was glad we were together. And that meant more to me than any gift. It made me really start to appreciate Valentine’s Day for what it was - a time for loved ones to express what they meant to each other.

But it wasn’t until the end of the night that I found out why Braun had been so clingy all day, behaving differently than normal. Guilt is a hell of a drug.

==========================

I was in the bedroom, wrapped up in blankets, waiting for Braun to return from the kitchen with the bottle of the wine he had stored in the fridge and the box of chocolates on the counter. He had agreed to watching whatever movie I wanted, and I pounced on the opportunity.

“Babe, your phone is ringing!” I called to him, noticing his phone vibrating violently against the bed. When he didn’t come to answer it, I shrugged, reaching over to grab it. The number wasn’t saved, and I didn’t recognize it, so my answer was cautious.

“Hello?” I asked, bringing the phone to my ear.

“Hey, this is Lexi, is Braun there?” The woman’s voice was angelic, sounding very much like that of a Disney princess.

“Lexi?” I repeated, just as Braun stepped in the doorframe. The wine glasses in his hand crashed to the ground, shattering against the floor as he rushed to the bed.

“Yeah, we went out the other day and I was just calling to see if he had any plans tonight,” Lexi explained. I thought back to the past week, trying to figure out when he had time to go out with someone else. And then I remembered.

Wednesday I had been exhausted and begged off going out for drinks with the roster. Braun didn’t, opting instead to go with them. Or rather, I thought he had. I looked up at Braun, standing at the foot of the bed, eyes wide as he looked at me.

“You know what, Lexi? I’m gonna have him call you back, alright? I have a feeling he’ll have a lot of free time soon,” I said into the phone before hanging up, tossing it onto his side of the bed.

“Please-” Braun began, reaching for me as I stood.

“Don’t fucking touch me, Braun,” I spat, grabbing my phone and keys off my own bedside table. I slipped a hoodie on over my t-shirt, moving for the door.

“Just listen, please,” Braun begged, following after me.

“Go call Lexi back, she wants to know if you have any plans tonight,” I said coldly over my shoulder, slipping my shoes on right inside the front door. “And you don’t.”

“I do-” he said, voice emphatic.

“Not,” I finished, glaring at him. “Just tell me one thing, alright? Did you sleep with her?” I asked, hand on the doorknob.

“No.” Braun shook his head, staring down at me. “I didn’t. I almost did, but-”

“Almost,” I repeated, nodding. “Great.” And then I was out the door, practically running down the hallway.

“Wait!” Braun called after me, attempting to follow.

“No!” I spat, whirling around to face him. “You know what, Braun? I hate the world almost. You were almost mine. We almost made it. You almost slept with her. Whatever. Go back inside. Call Lexi. I’ll be back at some point to grab my stuff.” His face fell as I turned my back to him, finishing my trek down the hallway. But he never tried to follow me.

And to think: I almost liked Valentine’s Day.


End file.
